Wet and windy weather is forecast to sweep across the UK during the day but competitors and spectators at Wednesday night's Paralympic opening ceremony will be spared the rain.

While Paralympic torchbearers are prepared for a rainy relay, the worst of the cloud will have rolled away by 8.30pm, when the Games officially begin.

Martin Young, the chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: "Wednesday will see showery rain push across the UK through the day, although the worst of the rain should gradually clear away through the evening to leave only a small risk of a shower affecting the ceremony.

"As competition gets under way on Thursday, showers, heavy at times, are likely across the Paralympic Games venues. Beyond this there are signs that fine weather will start to dominate across the south of the country as we head into the coming weekend."

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings in a number of regions including the east Midlands, eastern, north-west and north-east England and large parts of Scotland.

Forecasters say a band of heavy rain will move east across the UK, followed by sunshine and blustery showers. Showers and thunder are expected especially across the north and west, accompanied by gusty winds. The inclement weather is due to an area of low pressure from the Atlantic.

While temperatures will struggle to get above 15C during the evening, Helen Rossington, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It should be dry by the time the ceremony starts.

"It might be chilly though compared to how it was for the Olympics opening ceremony and there will be a brisk south-westerly wind. But it won't be raining, which is the important thing. There is only a very slight chance of a shower."

As for the torchbearers, she said: "Some of them will definitely get wet. There could be quite heavy rain throughout the morning, with the whole of the UK being unsettled."

During the day, temperatures will reach a high of 20C in the south of England, with some sunshine between the showers.